• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.95-118
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is as follows. First, we investigate empirically the effects of social network properties such as social network density and centrality of a franchisee on its information sharing with various subjects such as the franchisor and other franchisees in the franchise system. Second, we examine exploratively if tie strength between a franchisee and its franchisor plays a moderating role on the relationship between social network properties and information sharing. The study model was established as shown in

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.17-33
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• 2023

Purpose: This study divides choice attributes that can help strengthen the competitiveness of traditional markets into product, price, personnel, and physical evidence. This study also examines which choice attributes affect customer value perception, satisfaction, and loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology: The data were collected from 542 traditional customers aged 20 or older who frequently visit traditional markets across the country and analyzed using the Smart PLS 4.0 program. The survey was conducted with the help of an online survey company for a total of 14 days from April 7, 2023 to April 20, 2023. Result: First, product, price, and employee quality have a positive impact on utilitarian and hedonic value, but physical evidence does not. Second, product, price, and employee quality have a positive impact on hedonic and hedonic value. Second, utilitarian value has a positive impact on satisfaction and revisit intention. Third, hedonic value has a positive impact on satisfaction, but does not on revisit intention. Lastly, satisfaction has a positive impact on revisit intention. Conclusions: Based on the S-O-R model and the theory of consumption value, this study proposed and examined an integrated framework in which satisfaction leads to revisit intention through selection attributes acting on perceived value.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.17-29
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• 2020

Purpose: As the untact culture has spread due to the recent COVID-19, the service industry as well as the beauty salon is shrinking. In order to overcome such a crisis in beauty salons, the lower dimension of beauty salon service quality is divided into servicescape, technical service, and employee service, and actions are taken with the 'perceived value of the customer' as a parameter. In this study, S-O-R(Stimulus-Organism-Response) theory was applied for customer-centered analysis, and gender and regularity were selected as moderator variables to add practical implications. Research design, data, and methodology: All constructs were measured using items developed and used in the previous study. A total of 261 questionnaires were collected online using NaverForm. The data were analyzed using factor analysis, correlation analysis, and measurement model analysis with SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0. After testing the research model and hypothesis for the entire group, a multi-group analysis was conducted by dividing into male and female groups, regular customers, and non-regular customers. Results: First, this study showed that the service environment of beauty salon customers had a negative (-) effect on perceived utilitarian value, and the technical service and perceived hedonic value had a positive (+) effect on the customer's behavioral intention. Technical service and employee service had a positive (+) effect on perceived hedonic value, but perceived hedonic value did not affect customer's behavioral intention. Second, there is no statistically significant difference in each path between male and female groups. Third, there was a statistically significant difference between regular customers and non-regular customers, only the path that the servicescape influences the perceived hedonic value. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, technical service and utilitarian value should be considered in order to induce behavioral intention of customers, and technical service quality should be considered first. Also, operating a beauty salon requires a differentiated approach to the salon servicescape according to the ratio of non-regular and regular customers. The beauty salon servicescape generally showed negative practical value for non-regular customers, but positive for the Hedinic value for servicescape such as comfortable service and clean interior for regular customers.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.25-35
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• 2019

Purpose - The major objective of this study was to investigate the effect of franchisor's (economic and philanthropic) CSR in inspiring franchisee's loyalty for the franchisor. Another aim of this investigation also was to clarify the mediating role of economic and social satisfaction in the relationship between franchisor's CSR and franchisee's loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology - This study explores the structural relationship between franchisor's CSR and franchisee's loyalty and in these relationships, the mediating role of relationship satisfaction. Data were gathered from employees(above manager) in food-service franchisee companies in Seoul, Korea. The questionnaires were distributed to managers of the franchise stores. A total of 251 questionnaires were collected. Data management and analysis were performed using SPSS 21.O and SmartPLS 3.0. Evaluation of measurement model and structural model was carried out using confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis. Result - The results of this study show as follows. First, economic CSR had positive effects on economic satisfaction and social satisfaction. Second, philanthropic CSR had positive effects on social satisfaction. Third, economic satisfaction and social satisfaction had positive effects on franchisee's loyalty to the franchisor. Conclusions - The important implications of this study have as follows. First, this study has found that economic CSR can create a high economic satisfaction and social satisfaction of franchisee. Second, this findings suggest that the philanthropic CSR can improve the social satisfaction of franchisee. Third, this results demonstrate, for the first time, that the economic satisfaction and social satisfaction of franchisees can play a crucial role to improve their loyalty for the franchisor and pursue mutual development by maintaining the stable business relationship with a franchisor. In this investigation there are at least three limitations. First, Because the research sample is limited to the foodservice franchisee in Seoul, it is not possible to be representativeness of the national franchisee. Second, CSR activities are mostly focused on large franchise companies. Therefore, there is a limit to the research approach. Finally, this study examined the effect of economic CSR and philanthropic CSR on the loyalty of franchisors, but in the future study, it is necessary to analyze the relationship between CSR and loyalty of franchise companies by collecting specific quantitative data such as re-contract rate and management performance of franchisees.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2018

Purpose - In franchise system, how to build the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee through influence strategy is very important, because it affects on the long-term orientation like recontract intentions. Thus, this study examines the effect of mandatory influence strategy on relationship satisfaction, relationship trust, and recontract intentions in the context of food-service franchise industry. This study suggests the guidelines on how franchisor uses their influence strategy on franchisee to maintain and increase the recontract intentions. Research design, data, and methodology - This study examines the structural relationship between mandatory influence strategy, relationship satisfaction, relationship trust, and recontract intentions from the franchisee's perspective. Mandatory influence strategy divide into three sub-dimensions such as request, legalistic plea, threat. In order to test the purposes of this study, research model and hypotheses were developed. Every constructs were measured by multiple items tested and developed in the previous research. Also, the constructs utilized in this research are measured using 7-point scales anchored by "1=strongly disagree" and 7=strongly agree". The data were collected from 496 owner and owner manager franchisees and were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and Smart PLS 3.0. program. Analysis of frequency was conducted to identify the demographics and general characteristics of the survey subjects. In order to measure the reliability and validity of the measurement tools, confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis were conducted and structural model analysis was conducted to verify the proposed research model. Result - The results of this study are as follows. First, this research found that mandatory influence strategy is positively related to relationship satisfaction and relationship trust, but not to recontract intention directly. Second, this research also found that the full mediating role of relationship satisfaction and relationship trust between the mandatory influence strategy and recontract intention. Conclusions - The findings of this research indicate that franchisor should use properly mandatory influence strategy to improve recontract intentions through relationship satisfaction and relationship trust. Due to the nature of food-service franchise industry, which needs high relationship quality, franchisor must manage their franchisee using influence strategy in order to improve satisfaction and trust. If franchisee perceives higher relationship quality, they will show higher intention to recontract. At the end of this paper, limitations and future research directions were suggested.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.65-88
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• 2008

Since the implementation of economic reforms in 1978, the Chinese economy grows rapidly at an average annul growth rate of 9% over the post two decades. Franchising has been widely recognized as an important source of entrepreneurial activity. Trust is important in that it facilitates relational exchanges by permits partners to transcend short-run inequities or risks to concentrate on long-term profits or gains. In the relationship between the franchisors and franchisees, trust has been described as an important source of competitive advantage. However, little research has been done on the factors affecting trust in Chinese franchisor-franchisee relationships. The purpose of this study is to investigate what factors affect the trust in the franchise system in China, and to provide guidelines and insights to franchisors which enter Chinese market. In this study, according to Morgan and Hunt (1994), trust is defined as the extending when one party has confidence in an exchange partner's reliability and integrity. We offered a conceptual model of the empirical study. The model shows that the factors affecting the trust include franchisor's supports, communication, satisfaction with previous outcome and conflict. We also suggested the franchisor's supports and communication like to enhance the franchisee's satisfaction with previous outcome, and the franchisor's supports, communication and he franchisee's satisfaction with previous outcome tend to decrease conflict. Before the formal study, a pretest involving exploratory interviews with owners from three franchisees was conducted to make sure the questionnaire was relevant and clear to the respondents. The data were collected using trained interviewers to carry out personal interviews with the aid of an unidentified, muti-page, structured questionnaire. The respondents comprised of owners, managers, and owner managers of franchisee-owned food service franchises located in Beijing, China. Even though a total of 256 potential franchises were initially contacted, the finally usable sample consisted of 125 respondents. As expected, the sampling method was successful in soliciting respondents with waried personal and firm characteristics. Self-administrated questionnaires were used for all measures. And established scales were used to measure the latent constructs in this study. The measures tapped the franchisees' perceptions of the relationship with the referent franchisor. Five-point Likert-type scales ranging from "strongly disagree" (=1) to "strongly agree" (=7) were used throughout the constructs (trust, eight items; support, five items; communication, four items; satisfaction, six items; conflict, three items). The reliability measurements traditionally employed, such as the Cronbach's alpha, were used. All the reliabilities were greater than.80. The proposed measurement model was estimated using SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 5.0 analysis package. We conducted A series of exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses to assess the convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability. The results indicate reasonable overall fits between the model and the observed data. The overall fit of measurement model were $X^2$= 159.699, p=0.004, d.f. = 116, GFI =.879, NFI =.898, CFI =.969, IFI =.970, TLI =.959, RMR =.058. The results demonstrated that the data reasonably fitted the model. We also examined construct reliability and reliability and average variance extracted (AVE). The construct reliability of each construct was greater than.80 and the AVE of each construct was greater than.50. According to the analysis of Structure Equation Modeling (SEM), the results of path model indicated an adequate fit of the model: $X^2$= 142.126, p = 0.044, d.f. = 115, GFI =.892, NFI =.909, CFI =.981, IFI =.981, TLI =.974, RMR =.057. As hypothesized, the results showed that it is strategically important to establish trust in a franchise system, and the franchisor's supports, communication and satisfaction with previous outcome tend to reinforce franchisee's trust. The results also showed trust seems to decrease as the experience of conflict episodes increases. And we also noticed that franchisor's supports and communication tend to enhance the franchisee's satisfaction with previous outcome, and communication tend to decrease conflict. If the trust between the franchisor and franchisee can be established in a franchise system, franchising offers many benefits and reduces many costs. To manage a mutual trust of relationship with their franchisees, franchisor's should provide support effectively to their franchisees. Effective assistant services have direct effect on franchisees' satisfaction with previous outcome and trust in franchisor. Especially, franchise sales process, orientation, and training in the start-up period are key elements for success of the franchise system. Franchisor's support is an accumulated separate satisfaction evaluation with different kind of service provided by the franchisor. And providing support definitely can improve the trustworthy image of the franchisor. In the franchise system, conflicts of interests and exertions of different power sources are very common. The experience of conflict episodes seems to negatively relate to trust. Therefore, it is important to reduce the negative side of the relationship conflicts. Communication actually plays a broader role in reducing conflict and establish mutual trust in franchisor-franchisee relationship. And effective communication between franchisors and franchisees can improve franchisees' satisfaction toward the franchise system. As the diversification of Chinese markets, both franchisors and franchisees must keep the relevant, timely, and reliable communication. And it is very important to improve the quality of communication. Satisfaction with precious outcomes seems to positively relate to trust. Franchisors and franchisees that are highly satisfied with the previous outcomes that flow from their relationship will perceive their partner as advancing their goal achievement. Therefore, it is necessary for both franchisor and their franchisees to make the welfare of partner with effort. Little literature has focused on what factors affect the trust between franchisors and their franchisees in China. This study developed the hypotheses regarding the factors affecting trust in the transaction relationship. The results of data analysis supported the hypotheses strongly. There are certain limitations in this study. First, we may point out that some other factors missed in this study could be significantly important. Second, the context of this study, food service industry, limits its potential generalizability for all franchise systems. More studies in different categories of franchise system are needed to broaden its generalizability. Third, the model was tested empirically in a sample in Beijing, more empirical tests of the proposed model in other Chinese areas are needed. Finally, the analysis in this study was solely based on the perception of franchisees and the opinions of franchisors were not included.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.5-14
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• 2016

Purpose - Competitive industry structure and recent economic depression challenge a survival of Korean small- and medium-sized food franchising companies (SMFCs), albeit the explosive growth of the Korean food service industry for last few decades. Against this backdrop, it examines how these SMFCs overcome liabilities of smallness and resource scarcity to strengthen competitive advantage in the market. To tackle this, in this article we focus on corporate entrepreneurship and human resources as a knowledge-based asset for these SMFCs. Furthermore, the ratio of employee turnover is high in SMFCs. We view that such brain-drain may result in poor performance of the Korean SMFCs. As such, we pay attention to the role of organizational commitment to an organization as a solution for enhancing individual-level employees' loyalty toward their organization. Research design, data, and methodology - Our research question is to what extent corporate entrepreneurship (i.e., innovative organizational culture, organizational autonomy, and administrative innovation) affects an individual-level attitude toward the organization and, in turn, employee creativity and satisfaction in the Korean SMFCs context. We collected data from employees in SMFCs for three months. A total of 126 valid questionnaires were collected, and analyzed the data using partial least squares path modeling. Results - The reliable and valid measurement model feed into testing the structural model. Our findings suggest that innovative organizational culture and organizational autonomy positively affect employee commitment. Particularly, organizational autonomy has a greater effect than innovative culture on employee commitment. However, the relationship between administrative innovation and employee commitment is not significant. We also find that employee commitment positively affects both employee creativity and satisfaction. Conclusions - Our contribution to the existing franchising business and management literature is twofold. First, the conceptual model includes three antecedents in the organizational entrepreneurship dimension to organizational commitment. Second, we conceptualize organizational commitment as employee commitment, and validate its impact on employee creativity and job satisfaction at an individual performance level. Overall, this article suggests that it is critically important for the Korean SMFCs to develop corporate entrepreneurship in order to facilitate employees' positive attitudes toward their organizations.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.35-49
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• 2021

Purpose: The major objective of this study is to develop a model for the impact of franchisors' Gapjil (verbal·nonverbal Gapjil, abusing bargaining position, refusing transaction, false or exaggerated information, restrictive practices, unfair damage compensation) on franchisee's recontract intention. We also examine the mediating role of economic satisfaction and social satisfaction in the relationship between franchisors' Gapjil and franchisee's contract intention. Research design, data, and methodology: Data were collected from franchisee owners located nationwide in Korea. Out of 256 questionaires distributed, a total of 256 questionnaires were returned. After excluding 10 invalid respondent questionnaires, we coded and analyzed 246 valid questionnaires (effective response rate of 96.09%) using frequency, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations analysis, and structural equation modeling with SPSS 22.O and SmartPLS 3.0. Results: The findings of this study are summarized as follows: First, among the Gapjil of the franchisors, restrictive practices and unfair damage compensation had negative effects on economic and social satisfaction, but verbal and nonverbal Gapjil for economic and social satisfaction was not significant. Second, abusing bargaining positions and false or exaggerated information had negative effects on social satisfaction, but for economic satisfaction, found to be insignificant. Third, economic and social satisfaction had positive effects on the franchisee's recontract intention to the franchisor. Conclusion: The following implications of this study are as follows. First, the construct of Gapjil that occurs between the franchisors and the franchisees was first presented, and the franchisors' Gapjil is divided into interpersonal Gapjil and structural Gapjil. Second, the Gapjil of the franchisors can be an important predictor variable in maintaining and developing a long-term relationship between the franchisors and the franchisees. Third, solving conflict due to the Gapjil problem between franchisors and franchisees can be an important factor for franchisors and franchisees to co-survive and thrive in Korean franchise system. Fourth, this study suggest that managing the Gapjil of the franchisors was a important antecedent factor in maintaining long-term relationship between the franchisors and the franchisees. Therefore, this study will help franchisors formulate effective symbiotic marketing strategies to satisfy relationships with franchisees and consequently enhance long-term orientation.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.264-279
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• 2015

This study is conducted to investigate the relationships among service quality, satisfaction, and revisit intention of franchise snack bars customers located in Busan. The quality of franchise Korean snack bars' service was estimated by examining three sub-dimensions: service environment factors, interaction factors, and outcome quality factors, which are classified from Brady & Cronin's third-dimensional model. The survey was performed from March 9th to March 13th in 2015. Total 300 questionnaires were distributed and 272 questionnaires were employed for final analysis. SPSS 21.0 program was used to derive the following: factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation, simple regression and multiple regression analysis. In results, the approachableness such as convenience for access was the most important reason when people choose a franchise Korean snack bar company followed by food taste and reasonable price. In addition, the results indicate that service environment quality, interaction quality, and outcome quality have all positive impact on the customers' satisfaction as well as revisit intention. Specifically, outcome quality have the greatest influence on the satisfaction and revisit intention among three service quality factors. This outcome proves that Korean snack bar franchise companies need to investigate more to improve their outcome quality such as food quality and serving time to satisfy customers. In conclusion, current study confirmed the relationships among service quality, satisfaction, and revisit intention in context of franchise snack bar stores. These results will suggest the snack bar foodservice segmentation as valuable marketing strategic, and that it can be utilized as a fundamental data to establish an efficient business plan in the industry.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.45-55
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• 2022

Purpose: Consumers' experience of functional attributes is remembered, and the experience lowers the cost of consumers' input from their point of view and reduces uncertainty. It also plays an important role in consumers' positive emotions and responses. Accordingly, if information search costs are reduced in terms of the costs perceived by consumers about restaurants, a strategy differentiated from other companies can be established. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of functional congruence of restaurant stores on information search cost reduction, positive/negative emotions, and loyalty. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: This study investigated functional congruence, information search cost reduction, and positive/negative emotions. The structural relationship between loyalty was analyzed. To verify this, a research hypothesis was established based on previous studies and a research model was constructed. The questionnaire items were modified and used according to the current study, based on previous studies. The data were collected using the questionnaire method from 187 people who had dining out experience. Frequency analysis was performed to confirm demographic characteristics. Reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the collected data were verified. The research model was analyzed with a structural equation modeling (SmartPLS 4). Results: The findings show that functional congruence had significant positive effects on information search cost reduction and positive emotion, but no significant effect on negative emotion. Information search cost reduction had significant positive effects on positive emotion/negative emotion but did not significantly affect loyalty. Lastly, both positive and negative emotions had significant positive effects on loyalty. Conclusion: Based on transaction cost theory, this study found how functional congruence and information search cost reduction influence consumers' emotions. The functional attributes of restaurants were perceived by customers as information, thus uncertainty was decreased. Finally, appropriate management strategies and implications of functional congruence and information search cost in the restaurant were suggested.